Ms. Pinto, our English Head Mistress, who not only ruled with an iron fist, but also lived on the property to ensure the safety of all the students, instilled in us to exceed at everything. Now, as a grown woman, I had to ask myself, “Was my school motto, (Age Quod Agis); to do whatever you do well, being accomplished by living in another man’s country?” Did I cheat myself and my country by leaving?

The competitors, especially the girls, with many pulled off the field on stretchers, reminded me that I was a Caribbean woman; full of hope and many talents. Wolmer’s , incidentally, was the very first school to win Champs so it was fitting that they should win this 100th Games. This experience, while it served as a reminder of the resiliency of the Jamaican people, the rich ancestry of my past, and the never say die attitude of all Jamaicans; also allowed me to examine myself and really ask, “Would I be living in Beverly Hills like so many others my age on the island?”

“Sandy, yu caan really look at it that way,” a native Jamaican friend of mine said to me while discussing the issue. “The fact is that your family made that decision for you at the time because they thought it was best for you. You cannot change the past.” he said. “Good for him to say,” I thought to myself, as he was the same age as myself, with a top position on the island. He also had disclosed that the minute he graduated from the Ivy League school that he had attended in the U.S., he had “his Doctorate in one hand and a one way ticket back home in the other.”

Who is to say where you would be if you had stayed in your own country, after your years of High School? Maybe, yes, as my cousin said, “Sandy, yu would have definitely landed one of those big jobs deh man.” Or maybe I would have ended up working in the bank, using my O Levels, as it was called back then, to at least position myself for somewhat of a stable future.

No one is to say of course, but the ever present thought in my head, similar to the other oldies sitting in the stadium in all our respective school ties and belts, squeezing into shirts that no longer fit, was where did all the years go and if only I could do it all over again?

The choice to leave one’s own country is never easy; the road is unknown and the way uncertain. Yet, the decision to leave and to live in a foreign land, will not only erase many memories of your past life but also rob you of the opportunity to grow as an adult in an environment that is your own; hence making you unsure of your capabilities and your own God given talents. Your footprints are etched in your own country’s soil, so understandable it will allow you to prosper.

Our successes on the world stage, whether you chose to leave or become a “foreigner,” as someone called me while on the island, reflects our Ashanti tribe attributes; given to us by our forefathers. We are warriors and will forever strive for the best. In the words of my Wolmer’s school motto, passed down from generations I say to you, “Age Quod Agis”; whatever you do, do it well. Hopefully I am living up to my potential!

This bill will be expensive and requires Americans to purchase insurance.

If they don’t purchase insurance, they will have to pay a fine.  How are many Americans going to pay for insurance, or the fine, if they can’t even pay their mortgage? These are questions many hope the administration will have the answers to. However, the US health care system was in a mess and requires urgent attention. According to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, the US is the only wealthy, industrialized nation that does not have a universal health care system.

The number of people in America without health insurance coverage totaled about 16% of the population, or 47 million people. Of these 47 million uninsured people, nine million or roughly twenty per cent, reside in households whose income totals greater than $75,000.

In addition, many or most of those with insurance are not sufficiently insured, with high-deductible policies, policies that do have limits on what they will pay for or policies that cost a significant percentage of their income.

Despite its shortcomings, the new health care bill is a step in the right direction to fix a system that never cared about the health of most American. However, under the new bill, health care insurance companies cannot turn away anyone with a pre-existing condition. Insurance companies will be reigned in, and Medicare spending will become more efficient.

Republicans are conservative and believe that government should have less control over citizens’ lives. On the other hand, Democrats are more liberal and advocate for more government participations. They are always in disagreement with each other. We are however, urging the Republicans to give the Obama’s health care bill a chance. Only a healthy American can grow the economy and produce the jobs.

While, some of us are proud and view independence as a significant milestone towards our development as a nation, in the opinions of a significant number of people, they are still not really independent. While these islands have achieved political independence or self-governance, they cannot feed their people. We are nine years into a century that is driven my technology and global interdependence.

Caribbean nations must positions themselves to be leaders in commerce, education and healthcare in this new century. We must focus on revitalizing our greatest strength : Our people. In our quest to achieve complete economic independence, human capital is the most powerful tool in our arsenal.

However, we are in danger of losing it because of inter-identity politics that fragments and weakens us. There is a growing divide between Caribbean nationals abroad and those in the homeland. The only meaningful connection that remains between these two groups comes through remittances. This is good, but it should not end there. Caribbean nationals living abroad have contributed immensely to and made remarkable strides in the fields of medicine, technology, business, law, agriculture and education in their new homes.

Now it is time for them to give back to where they got their start: back home. But, the homeland, must make our brothers and sisters living abroad feel welcome to come back home. Several laws and policies related to voting, citizenship, property rights alienate those in the Diaspora from their home countries. Then there are the big issues of safety and crime. People want to “go back home” but are hesitant because of stories in the media about violence.

We are convinced that to make Independence Day celebrations more meaningful, Caribbean nations must refocus on what made independence possible: The enormous strength of our people when united to accomplish a common goal.